In 1965, with an unchanged stroke but an increase in bore size to 81 mm, 4.4-liter overhead camshaft Ferrari engines became 365s. In the racing 365P, the engines were developed to produce 380 bhp at 7,000 rpm while the road version, like that fitted in 1968 to the 365 GTS and GTC, produced 320 bhp at 6,600.

It was at this time, between 1966 and 1967, that Ferrari was producing the 275 GTB/4 as an interim model, which was replaced with a new design as soon as possible. Pininfarina was briefed to produce a design for a new berlinetta based on the 330 GTC chassis.

The homologation documents show that the American market, very important to Ferrari, was seriously considered, and new stringent emission regulations came into force in the U.S. as of January 1, 1968. This caused Ferrari to experiment with a very interesting engine, the Tipo 243, which was based on the 330 V-12 Colombo and called the Testa Piatta. This had three valves per cylinder and twin overhead camshafts. The very narrow valve angles meant that the camshafts were very close together, so a single cam cover covered these. This engine was only fitted to the prototype of the new car, while the second prototype used the 275 GTB/4 engine (Tipo 226).

The 275 GTB/4 had been created by fitting DOHC cylinder heads to the short block 3.3-liter V-12. Ferrari engineers followed the same formula for the new engine, using a 4.4-liter long block as fitted to the 365 GT 2+2, 365 GTC and 365 GTS, as its basis. The production version of the 365 GTB/4 engine, which produced 352 bhp at 7,500 rpm, was capable of powering the new berlinetta to 175 mph (280 kmh). The favored 2,400 mm wheelbase was again retained. Independent suspension was used at both front and rear, and Ferrari used a braking system with four ventilated discs, two master cylinders and separate hydraulic systems. The extremely robust gearbox was mounted at the rear with the differential (transaxle). The clutch was mounted on the engine flywheel and connected to the gearbox via a torque tube as on the 275 GTB/4.

The 365 GTB/4 was launched at the 1968 Paris Motor Show, and was immediately nicknamed the Daytona in recognition of Ferrari taking the first three places at the Daytona 24 Hours in 1967.

American customers did not receive their cars until 1971 after the new berlinetta had shown itself to comply with all the stringent safety and emission requirements in the U.S. The safety changes included the modified nose section with pop-up lights. Road & Track published a road test of the car in 1970 which finished with the sentence, “The Daytona—the best sports car in the world or the best GT—make up your mind—it is the best of both.”

Every Ferrari ever made could be described as a landmark car. The Daytona, however, truly was. With competition from Lamborghini’s mid-engined Miura, it would have been easy for Ferrari to follow the same route. Instead, Maranello made a statement by producing a front-engined supercar. With stunning, aggressive, Pininfarina designed looks, the Daytona was the fastest production car in the world.

I was writing up a 1974 Dino 246 GTS formerly owned by Barbara Streisand for our Sports & Exotic auction news, and came across a spooky chain of coincidences, courtesy of a friend at the Senior Six registry…

FACT: In A Star is Born (1976), Kris Kristofferson’s character John Norman Howard dies in a Daytona Spyder.

FACT: The helmet-eschewing actor Gary Busey is also in A Star is Born.